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Challenges to Strategic Planning in Public Institutions: A study of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, South Africa Author Details:

Dlamini, Nqobile University of Pretoria Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Management and Administration Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

Mazenda, Adrino University of Pretoria Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Management and Administration Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

Nhede, Norman University of Pretoria Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Management and Administration Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

Masiya, Tyanai University of Pretoria Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, School of Public Management and Administration Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

Corresponding author: [Mazenda, Adrino ] [adrino.mazenda@up.ac.za]

Abstract Purpose A strategic plan is a document used to communicate an organisation’s goals and the

actions needed to achieve those goals. Strategic planning in public organisations

promotes timely decisions; enhances the management of limited resources in a more

rational manner; improves service delivery and induces greater satisfaction of

customers. The purpose of this article is, first, to critically examine the strategic

planning challenges facing the Department of Telecommunications and Postal

Services (DTPS), and how these impact organisational performance. Second, the

article identifies strategies that can be implemented to enhance strategic planning and

performance management in the DTPS.

Design/Methodology/Approach This article used a qualitative case study design with the aid of document analysis to

provide insight into the research questions.

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Findings The article concludes that the DTPS faces a plethora of challenges. A major challenge

is resistance to change arising from a desire to maintain the status quo. The

organisation has found it difficult to embrace the reforms reminiscent of the new public

management (NPM) paradigm. This article argues that it is important to promote

strategic planning, and aligning organisational objectives with performance in public

institutions.

Originality/value In many South African public institutions, strategic planning is viewed as the work of

top management, a misconception which compromises service delivery. In addition,

strategic planning has been implemented as a direct attempt to inhibit poor budgetary

planning and corruption in procurement systems, and in order to effectively manage

public resources. There is a need for the department to conduct regular skills

development programmes, uproot top-level bureaucracy, and increase innovation,

monitoring and evaluation of organisational activities.

Key Words: Strategic Planning, Strategic Management, Public Organisational

Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, DTPS.

Introduction The survival of any organisation depends on its ability to improve its strategic planning.

The South African public sector has been subjected to poor strategic planning, which

has resulted in poor service delivery in various departments (Kanyane, 2006:112).

Poor strategic planning and a lack of compliance with legislation have resulted in poor

organisational performance and negative audit opinions from the Auditor-General

(Van der Waldt, 2014:132). The South African government has undertaken various

programmes, such as performance monitoring and evaluation, to enhance

accountability and transparency and improve strategic planning in government

departments. However, service efficiency remains difficult to attain, judging from

incidents of community unrest. Moreover, a decline in quality service provision and

several development projects in government departments, as evidenced by

testimonials coming out of the Zondo commission of enquiry, has had a negative effect

on organisational performance (Henri, 2004:34).

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The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) was established

to provide infrastructure for information and communications technology (ICT)

applications and services, develop e-strategies in an effort to provide e-government

and e-sectoral services, promote cybersecurity and the security of networks, and to

roll out postal and banking services. The DTPS further facilitates the development of

rural economies, and is in the process of licensing the Postbank. A full-service bank

licence will allow traders in rural towns to access affordable credit, which will

encourage the growth of their businesses. The Post Office also contributes towards

this by developing its ecommerce platforms for the ICT sector, which focuses on email

for utilisation by small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).

Similar to all other government departments, the DTPS is required by law to engage

in strategic planning. This is within the provisions of chapter 5 of the Treasury

Regulations stipulated in the Public Financial Management Act no. 1 of 1999.

According to the act, the accounting officer of the department is requested to submit

measurable objectives for each main division in the particular department's vote (or

programme) to the National Assembly each year during the period of the presentation

of the budget.

Furthermore, section 27(4) and section 36(5) of the Public Financial Management Act

make it mandatory for an accounting officer to establish procedures related to quarterly

reporting to the executive authority, in an effort to facilitate effective performance

monitoring, evaluation and corrective action.

The role of providing leadership in key positions requires strategic thinking. Correct

decision-making, proper planning and the crucial implementation of systems could

also add value in the advancement of various organisations. Strategic planning

provides a frame of reference for implemented processes and directives. Innovative

strategic plans intrinsically require that leaders think carefully and produce operational

plans that concurrently achieve set targets. The strategic planning process is the

culmination of various integrative and consultative processes that clearly define

delivery agreements for tracking the performance of an organisation.

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This article seeks to answer the following key questions;

• What is the importance of strategic planning in public institutions?

• What are the strategic planning challenges facing the DTPS, and how do they

affect organisational performance?

• What strategies can be implemented to enhance strategic planning and

performance management in the DTPS?

This article is structured as follows; after the introduction, the second explaines the

research methodology that was applied. The third section conceptualises strategic

planning. The fourth section gives an overview of strategic planning and process in

the DTPS, followed in the fifth section by an analysis of the case study public

institution, the DTPS. The final section provides a conclusion and proffers

recommendations.

Research Methodology The research utilised a qualitative research methodology, a case study design and

document analysis. According to Miles and Huberman (1994:6), qualitative research

is primarily research that is exploratory. It is used to acquire an understanding of the

underlying factors, views and motivations that help to identify and clarify the essence

of social phenomena with little interference to the natural environment.

A case study design was also adopted. A case study investigates current life events

through the contextual assessment of occurrences and their relationships (Zaidah,

2007:2). Baxter and Jack (2008) state that case studies are characterised by an

intensive investigation of a social unit (for example an individual, a family, a school, a

department etc). In a typical case study, the researcher examines a unit in depth by

gathering pertinent data about its present status, past experiences and other factors

that contribute to the behaviour of the individual or social unit, and how these factors

relate to one another. Hence the case study of the DTPS was used to gather data on

strategic planning in public sector institutions in South Africa.

Documents allow the researcher to gather adequate information from various sources,

thus saving on the resource and time constraints of primary data collection techniques,

such as questionnaires and surveys (Doolan and Froelicher, 2009:13). Documents,

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comprising institutional reports, surveys, public records, and books, were reviewed

and analysed to interpret, derive meaning from, and obtain knowledge about the

challenges encountered in strategic planning, and how these affect organisational

performance in the DTPS. Moreover, recommend strategies that can be implemented

to enhance strategic planning and performance management in the DTPS.

The documents were classified into three categories. First, policy documents to

analyse the DTPS and South African strategic planning and performance

management legislation and policies. Second, progress documents to gather

information on execution within the DTPS. Third, DTPS assessment reports, books,

journals and newspaper articles, to gather information on the successes and

challenges facing the DTPS in strategic planning and performance management.

The document analysis process entailed gathering data from passages, quotations

and extracts. The data was then organised into major themes related to the main

questions of the research, using content analysis.

Conceptualising Strategic Planning A classic definition of a strategy by Chandler, Jr. (1962:13), identifies it as “the

determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the

adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources for carrying out these

goals.” In that regard, a strategic plan is a document that puts on paper the chosen

direction of the public institution, that is, it spells out the organisation’s goals and the

actions needed to achieve those goals as well as identify trends and issues against

which to align organisational priorities (Cutting Edge Insights, 2019). It links purpose

and action by communicating human goals and the organisation of human activity to

achieve those goals.

In that context, strategic planning is a process that outlines an organisation's strategy

choice. It reveals and clarifies what future opportunities and threats might be, and

provides a context for decision-making throughout the organisation. Strategic planning

is the means by which senior management set “the organisational vision, determine

the strategies required to achieve that vision, make the resource deployment decisions

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to achieve the selected strategies, and build alignment to the vision and strategic

direction throughout all levels of the organisation” (Melaka, 2015).

Effective strategic planning not only gives the organisation its direction and the

activities it needs to carry out to make progress, but prepares business processes to

succeed. Strategy creativities and guidelines set up by an organisation in the form of

mission and vision statements and objectives are the primary drivers of the focus of

such strategy organisations. Wagner (2006:41) emphasises that “the importance of

strategic planning can be explained from four points of view including environmental

scanning, strategy formulation, and linking goals to budgets and strategic planning as

a process”. Setting objectives will promote competent leadership in directing an

organisation. Effective budgeting enables plans to be translated into projects and

programmes to reach set strategy targets (Odongo and Datche, 2015:1).

According to Nickols (2016: 6-7), the techniques involved in strategic planning include

some variation of the following:

• a strategic review or audit intended to clarify factors such as mission, strategy,

driving forces, future vision of the enterprise, and the concept of the business.

• a stakeholders’ analysis to determine the interests and priorities of the major

stakeholders in the enterprise (e.g., board of trustees, employees, suppliers,

creditors, clients, and customers)

• an assessment of external threats and opportunities as well as internal

weaknesses and strengths (known variously as SWOT or TOWS), leading to

the identification and prioritisation of strategic issues

• either as part of the assessment above, or as a separate exercise, the

identification of “core” or “distinctive competencies”

• also as part of the assessment above, or as separate exercises, the playing out

of “scenarios” and even “war games” or simulations

• situational and ongoing “scans” and analyses of key sectors in the business

environment, including industries, markets, customers, competitors, regulators,

technology, demographics, and the economy, to name some of the more

prominent sectors of the environment

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• various kinds of financial and operational performance audits intended to flag

areas where improvement might yield strategic advantage

Elbanna, Thanos and Colak (2014) posit that successful implementation of strategic

plans is critical to the achievement of organisational aims and objectives. A strategic

plan is implemented through “the realisation of tactical and operational plans, which

include programs, projects and actions sequences” (Rojas-Arce, Gelman and Suárez-

Rocha, 2012:248). The Business Development Bank of Canada (2019), identifies

some of the steps that need to be taken to ensure successful implementation of

strategic plans. In order for the implementation to be effective, first, management

should allocate sufficient human, financial and other resources to each step of your

action plan. Secondly, management should ensure clear regular communication of the

requirements of the action plan throughout the organisation, especially regularly

communicating with employees responsible for accomplishing specific tasks. Thirdly,

management should continually monitor progress toward milestones and other

performance measures set down in the action plan. Fourthly, adjust action plan as

conditions change over the course of the year as well as updating the overall strategic

plan at an annual review. Finally, management must hold employees responsible for

accomplishing their assigned tasks on time. If they fail to do so, management must

investigate why, especially with respect to timeline, resources and support. Closely

related to this is the need to recognise and/or reward employees when they

accomplish their tasks on time. This can be done at follow-up meetings, in internal

communications and in performance reviews.

Maleka (2014) argues that sometimes strategic plans are not developed properly, or

not implemented properly. The author notes that this is caused by a number of

reasons. The first reason is that sometimes senior management does not follow a

defined process to accomplish this task resulting in months of effort wasted in creating

reams of paper that do not have strategic import. The second reason is that the

strategic planning process may be delegated to a planning group, or assigned to the

various functional leaders to complete for their respective areas. If completed in

individual functional areas, the plan may work for individual departments, but is likely

to sub-optimize the whole organisation. If assigned to a planning group, the result is

often not truly embraced and endorsed by senior leadership. Third, failure may be

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dues to senior management failing to set aside the time to develop the strategic plan

as a collective team work product. Fourth, strategic plans may not be developed

properly, or not implemented properly because the organisation does not understand

what a strategic plan is actually designed to provide. There would be very little about

it that addresses actual strategic direction. Fifth, senior management may not follow a

defined process or methodology that will result in a strategic plan in a timely and

efficient yet comprehensive manner. The sixth reason could be that the strategic plan

is developed but no process is followed to communicate it throughout the

organisation and build organisation-wide alignment to its implementation. Finally

sometimes strategic plans are not developed properly, or not implemented properly

because the strategic plan has been developed with no implementation guidelines at

all, is implemented in pieces or is unfunded and ignored.

A plethora of theories explain the performance management systems implemented in

public-sector organisations to ensure the achievement of set strategic goals. Goal-

setting theory (Locke and Latham, 1990) is necessary for the study as it links goal

setting to task performance. In terms of this theory, individuals who set specific difficult

goals perform better than those who set general easy goals.

Within the theory are five basic principles of goal-setting, namely clarity, challenge,

commitment, feedback, and task complexity. These principles interact through the

involvement of mediators and moderators, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Goal Setting TheorySource: Locke and Latham (1990)

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According to the theory, specific and challenging goals, along with appropriate

feedback, contribute to higher and better task performance.

Enthusiasm in working towards the attainment of goals is the main source of job

motivation. Moreover, employees are motivated by clear, well-defined goals and

feedback, with allowance for a little challenge. This implies that difficult goals are

greater motivating factors than easy, general and vague goals. Furthermore, explicit

and clear goals lead to greater output and better performance. Explicit, measurable

and clear goals accompanied by a deadline for completion avoids confusion.

Goals justify the performance of a task and the use of resources, give a feeling of self-

actualisation and provide a challenge to attain the next goal. Goals should be realistic

and challenging, they should guide and direct behaviour, and they should be bench-

marked against organisational performance.

Feedback and incentives are also mechanisms for increasing performance, as they

encourage employee involvement and greater job satisfaction. Conflicting

organisational and managerial goals, and a lack of those skills and competencies

needed to perform actions essential for goal attainment, are detrimental to

organisational performance and are a problem for public organisations such as the

DTPS.

The adoption of goal-setting theory is necessary to improve strategic planning and

performance management in the DTPS through a focus on encouraging the use of a

performance evaluation system, and the need for re-skilling in line with the

technological changes embedded in the 4IR. Moreover, the theory is in line with the

Department of Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) mandate for all public-sector

organisations to follow the strategic management process, which comprises five steps,

namely, goal setting, analysis, strategy formation, strategy implementation, and

strategy monitoring. To ensure adherence to these processes, departments are

required to submit quarterly performance plans and outcomes (DPME, 2015).

Strategic planning in the DTPS The Department of Telecommunications was proclaimed by the President in

Government Gazette No. 37839 dated 15 July 2014 and Government Gazette No.

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38280 dated 02 December 2014. The transfer of administration, powers and functions

entrusted by specific legislation to the Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal

Services and the Ministry of Communications, was confirmed. In order to fulfil the

mandate of the newly established Department of Telecommunications and Postal

Services, the following state-owned companies report to the ministry: The National

Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, the Universal Service and Access Agency

of South Africa, the Universal Service and Access Fund, the .za Domain Name

Authority, the State Information and Technology Agency, Sentech, Broadband Infraco

and the South African Post Office. The DTPS was, therefore, established to focus on

modernising the economy and economic infrastructure through the:

• roll-out of ICT infrastructure, applications and services;

• roll-out of postal and banking services; and

• development of e-strategies to roll-out e-government and e-sectoral services,

and the promotion of cybersecurity, as well as the security of networks (DTPS,

2018/2019).

The strategic planning of the DTPS takes into consideration a combination of various

integrative and consultative processes:

• the priorities of the ruling party;

• the Medium-Term Strategic Framework;

• the National Development Plan (NDP);

• the priorities set out by government in delivery agreements and government

outcomes; and

• the detailed and specific strategic guidance and input provided by the executive

committee (consisting of the DG, the directors and DDGs) of the DTPS through

the DTPA lekgotla.

Within the DPTS mandate is the adoption of the integrated Strategic Management

Policy framework, presented in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: DTPS Integrated strategic management policy framework

Source: Integrated Strategic Management Policy (ISMP) (2010)

The implementation of the strategic plan takes place over a period of five years and is

executed annually through the annual performance plan and the operational plans of

individual branches. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are implemented

concurrently through periodic reporting and the evaluation of achievements and non-

achievements of set targets. The DTPS submits quarterly performance reports for

consideration by the audit committee and the minister. Consolidated mid-term and

annual organisational performance reports are also submitted to the minister (DTPS,

2017).

In terms of the planning cycle, the department undertakes environmental scanning,

which provides the input required to develop an informed strategic plan taking into

consideration all internal and external factors. The strategic plan is further cascaded

in the annual performance plan which also allows for the cost of priorities to be set

against allocated resources.

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Implementation of the annual performance plan ensures the achievement of set

objectives and targets. In order to ensure implementation and periodic reporting of

performance, the annual performance plan sub-divides the one-year target into

quarterly targets, which are implemented and monitored on a quarterly basis.

Furthermore, the annual performance plan informs the development of business, as

well as operational plans, which unpack quarterly targets into action steps and

deliverables within the quarters. This detailed level of planning not only allows for

proactive and continuous monitoring and evaluation, but also informs the contents of

the individual performance agreements, thus ensuring alignment between all levels of

planning (DTPS, 2017).

Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of set targets provides information on

progress or the lack thereof, as well as related challenges hindering performance,

which directly feeds into the next planning cycle. To ensure optimal monitoring and

evaluation, the department’s executives present and interrogate the performance

reports on a quarterly basis to evaluate departmental performance and implement

immediate mitigating measures to ensure delivery of targets, especially in cases where

progress has been delayed (DTPS, 2018).

In the DTPS, as is the case with all government institutions, the focus of the strategic

plan must be aligned to the various plans developed within organisations to fulfil their

various mandates. The plan must be linked to performance agreements between the

president, ministers and service delivery agreements entered into in terms of the broad

strategic outcomes. The public institution (DTPS) is required to develop the annual

performance plans which cover specific targets that the institution aims to achieve in

the budget year, as well as the following two years of the Medium Term Expenditure

Framework (MTEF) in pursuit of the strategic outcomes orientated goals and

objectives set out in its strategic plan. These plans are developed by the DPME and

encompass delivery agreements for government’s strategic cross-cutting priorities (or

plans), monitor the implementation of these plans, and assess departmental strategic

and annual performance plans to ensure alignment with national government’s plans.

In addition, the DPME monitors the performance of provincial government

departments and municipalities, supervises frontline service delivery, executes

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evaluations, and promotes sound planning and sound monitoring and evaluation

(M&E) practices (DPME, 2015:9).

Challenges to Strategic Planning in the DTPS Strategic planning as an aspect of new public management has been used by various

government departments as a primary tool to enhance organisational performance

and service delivery. The aim of using strategic planning lies in its ability to create a

management culture capable of governing public institutions strategically in an

effective, efficient and accountable manner.

Table 1 presents the major themes resulting from the document analysis of the

difficulties experienced in strategic planning and how they affect organisational

performance in the DTPS.

Table 1: Main documents and themes

Selected document Theme

DTPS Annual Report 2016/17 Fraud and corruption impacts negatively on sound

municipal management.

Poor implementation of the strategic decision in the

government department has an impact on project

management.

Skills shortage in strategic planning.

Strategic documents for DTPS 2016/17 There is lack of engagement of management and staff in

the strategic planning and execution process.

There is poor feedback and improper information

dissemination impedes strategic planning.

Auditor General Reports 2016/17 Lack of compliance with legislation and poor strategic

planning is a result of incompetent leadership that failed

to exercise oversight responsibility to ensure that

consequence management is actively implemented in the

department.

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Corruption and fraud The DTPS (2017) revealed massive fraud and corruption that affected the department.

Corruption is one of the biggest challenges that rips the public sector institutions apart.

It has had negative impact on the strategic planning of various government

departments in South Africa. Basheka (2008:380) argues that corruption is

catastrophic for the sound functioning of any government department. Corruption

undermines sound decision-making and diverts the provision of services from those

who need them to those who can afford them. It should be noted that fraud and

corruption are disastrous for the sound functioning of any government; hence, officials

need to account for every action they take. When fraud and corruption take place, the

perpetrators of such conduct should be punished, since it impacts negatively on the

sound management of the any public institution.

In view of the challenge of corruption and in order to mitigate the escalating corruption,

the DTPS established a fraud prevention awareness programme to ensure that all its

officials and external stakeholders were aware of prevention systems, as well as the

protocols that must be adhered to when reporting any allegations of fraud or

corruption.

The awareness strategy includes fraud prevention posters displayed at all the

department’s premises and the induction of new employees. In addition, the

department utilises whistleblowing mechanisms such as the National Anti-Corruption

Hotline that are managed by the Public Service Commission (PSC). The aim is to

inhibit all corrupt, fraudulent or unethical practices that may be taking place in the

DTPS.

Poor project management skills The review of the DTPS (2017) revealed strategic execution gaps which led to poor

organisational performance. The poor implementation of strategic decisions in

government departments has an impact on project management. Childress (2013)

argues that poor project/initiative management is considered a major gap in strategy

execution, since strategy is essentially executed through projects. Her argument is

premised on the fact that many initiatives are not directly linked to strategic objectives.

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Studies by Muell and Cronje (2008) and Schreurs (2010) corroborate these findings,

and argue that poorly managed staff are a consequence of poorly executed strategic

objectives, which results in a lack of transparency and accountability. Evidence from

the strategic documents of DTPS revealed that many of the initiatives not directly

linked to key strategic objectives were “pet” projects that were often hidden in the

overall strategy, thus wasting resources on “disconnected initiatives”.

Poor translation of strategy into manageable actions creates another major barrier

(Sterling, 2003; Pedersen, 2008). Risk management is, ultimately, a fundamental part

of project management, since it considers and manages unforeseen events or

conditions from the internal or the external environment (PMI, 2013; Forbes Insights,

2009).

Skills shortage in strategic planning The implementation of strategic planning in the DTPS is constrained by a skills

shortage. According to the annual report of the DTPS (2017:76), it has faced several

difficulties in attracting and retaining critical scarce skills with the required

competencies, particularly in the broadband and spectrum environments. This report

further revealed that the DTPS is unable to compete with market-related salaries for

employees in these specific fields.

The department has an inadequate salary budget to compensate its employees. This

results in capacity constraints at all its branches and has an effect on its service

delivery capabilities. It was also evident from the report that the filling of posts has

been impeded by external stakeholders, an example of this being SSA pre-screening

processes that result in long turnaround times that also affect the recruitment drive

and timeframes. Given these challenges, the DTPS experiences skills shortages,

which explains its poor strategic planning. This in turn negatively affects their ability to

improve their organisational performance.

The DTPS (2017) attributed poor strategic planning to leadership which had failed to

exercise oversight responsibility in order to ensure that consequence management

was actively implemented in the department. Its report showed that repeated findings

of non-compliance with laws and regulations and internal control deficiencies, which

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were identified in the previous year, were again prevalent. This was an indication that

the action plan to address audit recommendations was not implemented timeously

and monitored adequately. Therefore, sound leadership is needed to take strong

strategic decisions that enable public officials to improve their performance, which will

lead to improvements in service delivery.

Lack of strong organisational culture and strategic planning The implementation of sound strategic management in government departments in

South Africa is impeded by poor organisational culture. The reviewed literature

(Kanyane and Mabelane, 2009) confirms this perspective, showing that a lack of

organisational culture affects organisational performance. Many public officials tend to

perform poorly because they lack the direction provided by the organisational

philosophy and aims, which in turn impacts service delivery.

Sound strategic planning can translate into improved performance management.

However, the DTPS (2017) revealed that the department could not exercise its

strategic mandate adequately to promote skills development, which is crucial for

improving skills capacity. The AG recommendation focused on the need for the

department to reconsider the strategic decision, which is imperative for effective

service delivery. Public officials can perform better when they have strong roots

entrenched in a strong organisational culture where employees are respected and

valued.

Speroff et al. (2014) corroborate these findings when they argue that an organisational

culture which enhances teamwork and innovation has been associated with quality

improvements, which is in contrast to bureaucratic, hierarchical cultures which

generally resist change and are less suited to improving quality. In many instances,

committed employees create a positive atmosphere which can enhance performance.

Improved organisational performance emanates from a sound organisational culture

where officials are valued or motivated. Therefore, to achieve this, there is a need for

the DTPS to improve its organisational culture to improve service delivery.

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Lack of internal control measures The DTPS (2017) revealed a lack of internal control measures that could have been

useful for enhancing service delivery. The report revealed that the DTPS does not

have an internal control unit, which negatively affects decision-making, quality control

and the supervision of public officials.

In public administration, strategic planning is critically important since it determines the

effective delivery of services, hence government departments need to have strong

internal control mechanisms that play an oversight role in monitoring the performance

of public officials. Du Preez (2002:27) argues that the responsibility of the internal audit

function in terms of the PFMA is the evaluation of all financial and risk management

and internal control systems. It acts as an early warning system to detect aspects that

go wrong. It further assists managers in identifying risks and monitoring the

implementation of the PFMA. Therefore, internal control is a mechanism which

provides checks and balances in an entity and establishes whether the correct

procedures, rules and regulations are being implemented.

Furthermore, it should be noted that an effective administration plays a pivotal

enabling role in ensuring that compliance with relevant processes and policies is

achieved. Therefore, the DTPS has undertaken initiatives to ensure that monitoring

and quality assurance assessments have been implemented and key processes are

adhered to; management structures, such as the Operations Committee Meeting

(OPSCOM). Such an organ provides oversight and manages the policy development

process through a register of policies. It ensures that policies are vetted prior to being

presented to the department’s executive committee for final consideration and

approval.

Poor alignment of objectives and performance Public sector organisations in South Africa are failing to improve the performance

management of their departments due to poor alignment of their objectives and

performance. This was also identified as an obstacle in the DTPS, where the poor

alignment of its strategy with its performance management was evident. Poor

alignment leads to the inadequate implementation of strategies, which results in poor

service provision.

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Harbst (2008) argues that a strategy can only be implemented by supporting an

organisational system that is aligned to its structure, people practices, business

processes and technology. In addition, access to funding, as well as competent,

motivated and dedicated people, is necessary to enhance organisational performance

(Muell and Cronje, 2008; Schreurs, 2010). Based on these findings, it is clear that poor

alignment can inhibit public sector organisations, including the DTPS, from improving

their performance.

Poor strategy execution or performance management system Government departments often fail to execute their strategic plans properly due to a

lack of proper skills or any understanding of how they can implement strategic

measures to improve organisational performance (Pedersen, 2008). This is prevalent

in the DTPS, which was faced with poor strategic execution that impeded the

performance of its public officials. The DTPS (2017) revealed a lack of direction and

focus in the implementation of its strategies. This has been further exacerbated by its

bureaucratic style of leadership, which prohibits junior management from proposing

strategic measures to improve performance.

These findings were corroborated by On-Point Consulting (2011), which revealed that

the lack of proper strategy execution or performance management systems inhibits an

improvement in organisational performance. A department cannot function effectively

when it does not have a strategy to guide the performance of employees. Sterling

(2003) and Pedersen (2008) have argued that in such circumstances a model to

execute the strategy is essential to ensuring the continual monitoring, tracking, and

reviewing of performance, as well as clear accountability to hold teams responsible

(Mueller, 2010).

Furthermore, a well-defined strategy with a strong framework helps to improve

performance through continued and systematic monitoring which ensures that there

are no flaws in the manner in which public officials execute their duties (Schreurs,

2010). McChesney et al. (2012) reiterate that such a strategy improves accountability

because public officials are required to conform to the stipulated strategy, which is

fundamental for improving organisational performance.

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Lack of communication and motivation Evidence from DTPS strategic documents revealed that there is poor engagement in

strategic planning and execution processes by management and staff. An extensive

review of the literature also reveal that poor communications and feedback have been

a challenge in government departments throughout South Africa (Kanyane and

Mabelane, 2009). This primarily resulted in poor communication and coordination

between leadership and staff as to how departmental strategy should be implemented.

Studies by Muell and Cronje (2008), Forbes (2009), Mueller (2010), Schreurs (2010),

On-Point Consulting (2011) and Childress (2013) corroborate these findings, which

show that poor strategy communication and a lack of engagement with staff have been

obstacles because executives failed to establish an open communication (dialogue)

climate, and did not involve staff from the planning stages. The failure by the DTPS to

involve staff in its strategic planning processes has impeded the effective delivery of

services.

Mueller (2010) says that, if goals are not clearly communicated and understood, and

if they do not resonate with staff, there is no connection between leaders, staff, and

their purpose. Without engaging the hearts and minds of people, the hands will seldom

execute the strategy successfully. Getz and Lee (2011) concur that the notion of

communication plays a key role in strategy implementation. This will ensure a

sustained commitment from all parties in the execution of strategy.

Recommendations In order to enhance strategic planning for improved organisational performance, the

following recommendations will need to be implemented by public institutions such as

the DTPS.

Learning organisations

The DTPS and other similar public institutions are encouraged to become learning

organisation. This will help the institutions to evaluate the performance of their public

officials as they strive to achieve a high level of organisational performance on a

regular basis. Learning can be about new systems and new technologies which could

help to improve the level of service delivery. Learning can open doors to new,

20

innovative ideas that can be utilised to improve strategic planning and manage the

performance of public officials.

The findings revealed a huge skills deficit in the DTPS. This shows that there is a need

for public organisations to conduct regular skills development programmes to train

public officials with regard to new issues. These newly acquired skills can help to

increase the performance of public officials and the level of their general service

provision to communities throughout South Africa. Skills development conforms to

goal setting theory, where managers are required to set up achievable goals in order

to improve performance.

Uprooting top-level bureaucracy

Top-heavy bureaucracy in public organisations as exemplified by the DTPS impedes

proper communication and feedback. There is a need for a paradigm shift from

traditional forms of governance towards the incorporation of new principles of

management which are being ushered in by the new public management paradigm.

Red tape and bureaucracy suppress the spirit of innovation, and discourages “think

tanks” from providing meaningful suggestions to the institutions as to how they could

improve their performance and service delivery. There is a need for flexibility so that

the chain of command is followed such that sound strategic decisions are taken to

benefit the organisation.

Increase innovation

Advances in global modern technology require the DTPS to incorporate new ideas

and utilise technology to improve its decision-making. Meetings can be held, or orders

issued to subordinates, by electronic means through websites and social media

platforms, which can be instrumental in improving levels of service delivery. The use

of technology can also help with project management and improve the

competitiveness of the DTPS and other public organisations in South Africa.

Monitoring and evaluation

There is a need to establish strong monitoring and evaluation techniques that act as

oversight mechanisms to ensure that the goals and objectives of the organisation are

executed. Weaknesses should be rectified swiftly to enhance organisational

21

performance. This also conforms to goal setting theory, which requires that goals

should be evaluated by leadership for better task performance. As shown in the study

of the DTPS, lack of monitoring and evaluation of public officials negatively affects

organisational performance and integrity.

Although these recommendations are made, there is still scope for further research in

order to gain an even deeper understanding into the strategic planning processes and

implementation challenges in public sector institutions such as the DPTS. In particular,

given the interplay of actors such as citizens, bureaucrats and politicians, a further

valuable study should look at the influence of these different actors on the planning-

implementation success relationship. Second, future research could also carefully

consider other determinants of strategy implementation success. This is because

strategic planning is overly influenced by an array of other variables, some reasonably

controllable by public sector institutions such as organisational, capabilities, systems

and processes, and others mostly beyond the control of the public organisations such

as economic conditions and national or intra-party political instability.

Conclusion The DTPS faces a plethora of challenges since they find it difficult to embrace the

reforms initiated by the new public management (NPM) paradigm. Strategic planning

is viewed as the work of top management, a misconception compromising service

delivery. In addition, strategic planning has been implemented as a direct attempt to

inhibit poor budgetary planning and corruption in procurement systems, and in order

to effectively manage public resources. Due to limited implementation of the strategic

planning process, the DTPS has been affected by a plethora of challenges including

Lack of strong organisational culture and strategic planning; Poor project management

skills; Skills shortage in strategic planning; Corruption and fraud; Lack of internal

control measures; Poor alignment of objectives and performance; Poor strategy

execution or performance management system and Lack of communication and

motivation. There is need for the DPTS to constantly evaluate the performance of its

public officials, promote tenets of the new public management paradigm, as well as

incorporate new ideas and utilise technology to improve its decision-making.

22

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